Shipping and display box.



G. SHUTES.

SHIPPING AND DISPLAY BOX.

APPLIoATIoN FILED JUNE 17, 1911.

1,101 9,850, Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

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GEORG-E W. SHUTES, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

SHIPPING AND DISPLAY BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 1'7, 1911.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Serial No. 633,754.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnoaon WV. Sun'rns, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of lVaync and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shipping and Display Boxes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

rlhis invention relates to shipping and display boxes for garden seeds and similar articles, and it has for one of its objects -the provision of an improved receptacle of this kind which contains a series of adjacent trays adapted to till the box when the latter is to be closed by a cover and shipped and which may be raised out of the same to form a series of progressively-elevated connected display boxes, the uppermost of which is detachably secured to the cover of the receptacle.

The invention has furthermore for its object the provision of improved automatic: locking means for the lowermost t ay when the latter has been partly raised out of the general receptacle or box in order to display its contents to better advantage.

Further objects of the invention will hercinafter appear and be particularly defined in the claims.

The invention has been clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which similar cha acters denote similar parts, and in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a play-box embodying my invention, the several trays being nested within the same, and the box cover being open; Fig. 2 illustrates the trays in position to display the goods; Fig. 3 shows in perspective the locking device for holding the lowermost tray in its display-position; and Fig. l shows a cross section of the entire device, the trays being in position shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, l0 denotes the main receptacle or box, adapted to contain a series of trays a, o, c, d, the front walls of which are cut away the better to disclose the interior. Inasmuch as the present device is intended to display envelops or packages 0f garden seeds, each tray has a guard rod ll extending longitudinally thereof to prevent the packages from falling out and yet not cover the front faces of the packages.

The several trays can be nested in the main receptacle substantially in the manner disillustrated in Fig. 1, and in dotted lines of Fig. il and they are so connected that they can be raised to produce a step-by-step or stair-effect shown in Figs. 2 and it, auto- -matically, For this reason l employ a peculiar linkage whereby the several trays are connected, this linkage comlvn'ising a pair of links disposed at each end of the [ray-series. (See Fig. 2.) The upper connection consists of a link l2 pivoted at 13 to the end wall of the front tray a and has a slotted end engaging a stud 1.41: on the tray A second link l5 is pivoted at 1G on the tray o and has slotted ends to engage studs 1+i and 17 on the trays b and (Z respectively, thus holding all three trays b c (Z for progressively rising or falling movement. In

order to bring the tray a also into this movement, I provide the second series, or lower links which comprise a link 1S pivoted on a stud 19 of the tray Z) and having slotted ends engaging studs-20 and 2l in the end walls ot' the trays a and c respectively, so that consequently these three trays a c are held for progressively rising or falling movement. A link 22 is attached to a stud 23 on tray (l, and has a slotted end in engagement with the stud 21. lVhen the trays are in their display positions, the several links are fully distended and the trays are therefore held against tipping.

All the trays are arranged for vertical movement relative to the main receptacle 10 and means are provided for limiting the rising movement of the front tray a so that its low front-wall will not project above the top edge of the front wall of the receptacle, the tray being furthermore guided thereon, as for instance by vertical guide-strips Q5 sen cured to the receptacle-wall l0 and in engagenient with ledges 2G attached t0 the front side edges of the tray a. Secured to each end wall of the tray, is a lip-member 27, the lip 27 of which will bring up against the underside of an abutment 28 projecting into the path thereof and secured to the main box 10.

Pivoted at 29 on the tray a, is a latch 29 which is adapted to rest upon the abutment 28, when the tray is in its elevated position, (see Fig. 3). IVhen it is desired, to lower the tray a into the main box, this latch .may be swung rearward sutliciently to clear the abutment during its descent, (see dotted lines) 5 this rearward swing however resulting in projecting the upper corner 29 of the latch forward, so that when the tray is then lowered, the corner will strike the guide strip and be therefore cammed back again into its normal vertical position, but now with its latch tongue below the abutment. It will be noted that the latch 29 has an outwardly extending portion 30, which (when the tray a is raised) will yield inwardly as it travels past the abutment 28, and spring outward again to the position shown in F ig. 3, as soon as the tray a has been raised suiiiciently to bring the latch clear of the abutment, viz. substantially when the lip 27 strikes the underside thereof. Y

The trays are held in their display-position by a hook 3l on each end wall of the uppermost tray d engaging an eye 32 secured to the cover C the latter being hinged at 33 on the main receptacle and limited as to its opening movement by a/pair of side links 34 pivoted on ears 35 carried by said cover, and having hook-ends 34 to engage studs 36 on the end-walls of the receptacle 10.

Then it is desired to bring the trays into display-position, the front tray a is usually raised first, the subsequent raising of the tray cl lifting the trays Z) and c proportionately, and the hooks 3l may then be readily slipped into the eyes 32 of the now vertically disposed cover C, so that then a rigid structure of the display-box as a whole is attained. l/Vhen it is desired to nest the trays in the receptacle, the latches 29 are usually first swung rearward and the upper tray cl unhooked from the cover, and lowered into the box, which movement will permit the remaining trays to descend also, after which the cover C may be closed and locked in any desired manner ready for storing or shipping.

While the drawing illustrates my improved display box 'made of wood, the principle of the invention can be readily applied to boxes made from sheet-metal, and many other changes in the construction of the several component parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:-

l. The combination with a box, of a series of trays, means for raising said trays proportionately, an abutment on the box, a lip on the foremost tray adapted to engagesaid abutment to limit its rising movement, resilient means for locking said tray against descent, and independent means for holding the other trays in raised position.

2. The combination with a box, of a series of trays, means for raising said trays proportionately, an abutment on the box, a lip on the foremost tray adapted to engage said abutment to limit its rising movement, a spring-latch on said tray and adapted to rest upon said abutment, and means for holding the other trays in raised position.

3. The combination with a box, of a series of trays, means for raising said trays proportionately, an abutment on the box, a lip on the foremost tray adapted to engage said abutment to limit its rising movement, a resilient latch on said tray adapted to yield during the upward movementof said tray and to spring outwardly over the abutment, and means for holding the other trays in raised position.

4. The combination with a box, of a series of trays, means for raising said trays proportionately, a stationary abutment on the box, a lip on the front tray adapted to engage the underside of said abutment, a latch pivoted on one of said trays and adapted to engage and disengage the upper side of said abutment, and means for automatically returning said latch to normal position.

5. The combination with a box, of a series of trays, means for raising said traysproportionately, a stationary abutment on the box, a lip on the front tray adapted to engage the underside of said abutment, a guide member for the front tray, a resilient latch pivoted on said tray adapted to engage and disengage the upper side of said abutment, a nose on said latch adapted to be in the path of said guide member in its disengaged position for automatically returning said latch to normal during the descending movement of said tray.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

nGEORGE W. SHUTES. Vitnesses O'r'ro F. BARTHEL, ANNA C. RAVILER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

